History

Original series

Kanto

Brock giving Jigglypuff a fruit to soothe its throat

Jigglypuff's first appearance was in The Song of Jigglypuff, where it was found standing on a stump. Misty tried to capture it with her Staryu, but decided otherwise when she learned that the Jigglypuff could not sing. After Ash and his friends had thwarted Jessie, James, and Meowth's plan to capture Jigglypuff, they agreed to restore the Balloon Pokémon's voice. They succeeded when Brock gave it a piece of fruit which soothed its throat. Now capable of singing, it performed for them, putting everyone within hearing range to sleep. This upset Jigglypuff, which angrily dug into Ash's backpack and pulled out a marker which it used to draw on the faces of everyone who fell asleep. When Ash and his friends awoke, they saw that it was still unhappy. After a similar failure with their Pokémon (Psyduck appeared to have succeeded at first but was soon discovered to merely be sleeping with its eyes open), Ash and his friends promised to find someone who could listen to its song without falling asleep. Later, it sang for the people in Neon Town, putting the whole town to sleep (and scribbling on everyone's face afterward).

Jigglypuff angry after its audience falls asleep

Jigglypuff then follows the gang throughout their journey until part-way through the Advanced Generation series. It set a goal to accomplish what it had failed to in the first episode: to have someone listen to its song in its entirety without falling asleep. It made yet another appearance in Riddle Me This where it sang most of its song, putting Gary and his cheerleaders to sleep. It appeared in the next episode, and many other episodes to come, following Ash and always looking for opportunities to sing on a stage or for a crowd.

Johto

This goal was mentioned by Meowth during a conversation between the two Pokémon in Tunnel Vision, when they made a short-lived agreement to pursue their dreams together. Jigglypuff became absorbed in its dream to become a famous singer, tending to shift between reality and fantasy. Because of this, it frequently went to great lengths to protect its microphone-like marker. Jigglypuff made a small cameo at the beginning of Celebi: Voice of the Forest and Pokémon Heroes. It seems to have a desire to become a Pokémon diva of some sort, but currently its primary goal is to find someone who can listen to its song the whole way through.

Other appearances

Based on how scarcely it is seen at this point, the Jigglypuff which followed Ash through a large portion of his journey may have faded from the anime cast completely. However, it has been parodied, notably in Pikachu's Exploration Club, where a Marill frequently appeared, singing, putting Meowth and Team Rocket's other Pokémon to sleep, and getting angry, causing it to puff up.

Jigglypuff was most recently featured in the ending theme Look Look☆Here.

Personality and characteristics

Jigglypuff is characterized by its sassy attitude and love of attention. In The Song of Jigglypuff, it secretly attacks Pikachu as an envious response to Ash's affection for his Pokémon. Similarly, in Same Old Song and Dance, it bullies two Igglybuff who perform with their Trainer Brittany. Jigglypuff is also quick-tempered, ending potential friendships with those who upset it (like with Meowth in Tunnel Vision).

Jigglypuff depicted on a karaoke mike

Jigglypuff is perhaps best known, however, for its running gag. Whenever it saw that its song put its listeners to sleep, it would inflate angrily, making a distinctive "honk" sound, then doodle over the faces of its audience with its marker. However, there have been two instances in which characters have listened to a portion of its song without getting drowsy: the first being during Jigglypuff's first performance in The Song of Jigglypuff, and the second during its brief appearance in Case of the K-9 Capers, when Ash and his friends were trying to fight off a brainwashed Growlithe Squad. In A Poké-BLOCK Party!, its song is finally heard completely by a Whismur, though the Whismur would faint during Jigglypuff's second performance due to exhaustion from a previous unrelated battle.

Besides its marker, Jigglypuff also has a voice-changing microphone which it picked up in Case of the K-9 Capers, but it has yet to use it. It is assumed that this item was intended to be reused in a different plot but was abandoned, much like the GS Ball.

Jigglypuff came close to achieving this goal in A Poké-BLOCK Party! when it met a Whismur whose Soundproof Ability negated the effects of the song, though the friendship between the two was short lived because the Whismur ended up passing out from exhaustion the second time Jigglypuff sang, making Jigglypuff think its song had put its new friend to sleep.

In the games

Pokémon Yellow

In Pokémon Yellow, there is a Jigglypuff at the PewterPokémon Center. If it is interacted with, it will sing its song, which will put Pikachu to sleep. Pikachu will remain where it is standing until the player leaves the center, if player talks to it or uses the Poké Flute while standing next to it. Nurse Joy will note the sleeping Pikachu if she is spoken to, and will not heal the player's party until Pikachu is awoken. If the player tries to deposit Pikachu in the PC, the PC will state there is "No response". Jigglypuff is also present at the Pewter Pokémon Center in the other Generation I games, the Generation II games, and their respectiveremakes. In Generation I and FireRed and LeafGreen, while it sings just like in Yellow, its song has no effect, likely due to all six of the player's Pokémon being in Poké Balls. In Generation II and HeartGold and SoulSilver, it does not sing.

Pokémon Snap

A Jigglypuff—which may be this same Jigglypuff—appears in the Cave area of Pokémon Snap. It and two other Jigglypuff are being harassed by a trio of Koffing. They leave after being saved by the player, but return at the end of the course to Sing for the camera. The center-most one uses a marker as a microphone, and inflates itself in anger in the same manner if the Poké Flute is played over its singing.

Pokémon Zany Cards

In Special Seven mode, Jigglypuff appears as card #3. When Jigglypuff is used, it will sing the opponent to sleep (becoming enraged in the process), forcing them to miss a turn.